What Happened in the Flower Industry Mother's Day 2020

The flower industry is one of the many industries that was negatively impacted by COVID-19. Farmers weren’t able to sell their flowers, flower wholesalers had no orders coming through, events and weddings were postponed, and florists had very little to no business. These past few months have been devastating to the entire industry. BUT THEN Mother’s Day 2020 happened.

Mother’s Day is normally one of the biggest flower holidays of the year. But May, 10, 2020 was one for the books. My business sold 5x the normal amount of arrangements that it usually would on Mother’s Day. This was SUCH a win for my business after an income-less few months.

To my delight, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this kind of success. I saw on social media that my local florist friends were all selling out as well. I received a call from a gentleman wanting to place an order and he told me that I was the 12th florist he’d contacted and the first one who still had availability. I then hopped onto my Facebook group for florists, led by Alison Ellis to see how florists in other areas were doing. I read dozens of stories from florists all over the world who were having record breaking success this Mother’s Day. They were selling out, running out of flowers, and unable to answer their phones due to the high volume of customers. A gentleman working at North Bay Farm Wholesale told me that this Mother’s Day was the busiest he had seen in 35 years.

Why was it such a good year for Mother's Day flowers? My best guess is that with the uncertainty in the world, people are feeling extra sentimental about their loved ones. I know I personally have been meditating on the love I have for my own mother right now. (Love ya, Mom!) Many people couldn't physically be with their moms this year, so sending flowers was an obvious way to show mom that she's treasured and loved. It makes me so happy to think of the hundreds of thousands of mothers who have a bouquet of fresh flowers on their tables right now.

It was an honor to be a part of such a momentous time and the collective sweetness of this industry-wide victory is something I’ll never forget.

The flower industry is made up of SO many small businesses. The high amount of sales from this holiday means that farmers, wholesalers, florists, and delivery drivers can breathe a sigh of relief for a bit. The profits from this holiday will be most likely used to pay rent, compensate employees, pay down debt that has accumulated over the past months, repair business vehicles, pay insurance, pay phone bills, feed families, and keep business closure at bay.

Thank you to everyone who ordered from not only me, but ANY florist this Mother’s Day. You totally showed up for the deserving mothers in your life. And by doing so, you’ve made a difference in the hard-working flower industry as well. So, thank you.